Amelia Earhart Timeline

(July 24, 1897 – July 2, 1937)

This timeline chronicles the life of Amelia Earhart, the pioneering American aviator who became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean in 1932. It covers her early life, record-setting flights, her advocacy for women in aviation, and her final, ill-fated attempt to circumnavigate the globe in 1937, during which she and navigator Fred Noonan vanished over the Pacific Ocean. More Less

Go to: Timeline | Event List | Key Facts | Directory

Early Life and Education

Amelia Earhart is born in Atchison, Kansas

Jul 24, 1897

Amelia Mary Earhart was born in Atchison, Kansas, to Samuel 'Edwin' Stanton Earhart and Amelia 'Amy' Otis Earhart. She would go on to become one of the most celebrated aviators in history.

Image source: Amelia Earhart

Earhart sees her first airplane at the Iowa State Fair

1908

At the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines, young Amelia saw her first airplane and later recalled being unimpressed by it, an ironic contrast to the aviation career she would later build.

Earhart graduates from Hyde Park High School in Chicago

1915

Earhart attended Hyde Park High School in Chicago, where her yearbook caption described her as 'A.E. — the girl who lives alone in the clouds.' She graduated in 1916 after a difficult school year.

Earhart serves as a nurse's aide in Toronto during World War I

Nov 1, 1917 - Dec 1, 1918

During World War I, Earhart worked as a volunteer nurse's aide at a military hospital in Toronto, Canada, caring for wounded soldiers. There she met many injured pilots and developed an interest in aviation.

Earhart attends Columbia University as a pre-medical student

Sep 1, 1919 - Jun 1, 1920

Earhart enrolled at Columbia University to study medicine but left after one year to reunite with her parents in California, where her aviation ambitions soon took flight.

Earhart marries George P. Putnam

Feb 7, 1931

Earhart married publisher George Palmer Putnam, who had helped organize her 1928 transatlantic flight and promoted her fame. She described the marriage as a partnership of equals, famously keeping her own name and independence.

Image source: George P. Putnam

Aviation Career

First airplane ride at Daugherty Field in Long Beach

Dec 28, 1920

Pilot Frank Hawks gave Earhart a ten-minute plane ride over Long Beach, California, that changed her life forever. She knew immediately that she had to fly and began taking flying lessons shortly afterward.

Earhart buys her first airplane, a Kinner Airster

1921

Earhart purchased a second-hand Kinner Airster biplane, which she nicknamed 'The Canary.' She used it to set her first women's altitude record.

Image source: Kinner Airster

Earhart begins flight lessons with Neta Snook

Jan 3, 1921

Earhart began taking flying lessons from pioneering aviatrix Neta Snook at Kinner Field near Long Beach, paying for lessons with earnings from various jobs including telephone company work.

Image source: Neta Snook Southern

Earhart earns her pilot's license

May 15, 1923

Earhart became the 16th woman in the world to receive an official pilot's license from the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, cementing her status among early female aviators.

Earhart sells her plane and works as a social worker in Boston

1924 - 1928

Following family financial difficulties, Earhart sold her Kinner Airster and took a job as a social worker at Denison House in Boston, where she remained active in aviation circles.

Legacy

Earhart publishes book '20 Hrs., 40 Min.' about the Atlantic crossing

1928

Earhart chronicled her transatlantic experience in the book '20 Hrs., 40 Min.', launching her public career as an author and speaker, and helping finance her continued flying.

Image source: 20 Hrs. 40 Min.

Earhart becomes president of the Ninety-Nines

Jan 1, 1930 - Dec 31, 1933

Earhart served as the first president of the Ninety-Nines, an international organization of licensed women pilots founded in 1929, championing opportunities for women in aviation throughout her tenure.

Image source: Ninety-Nines

Earhart helps found and lead the Federal Aviation advisory group

Jan 1, 1933 - Dec 31, 1935

Earhart was an early advocate for commercial aviation development and served as an officer of the National Aeronautic Association, promoting safety standards, air racing, and public confidence in flying.

Image source: Federal Aviation Administration

Earhart joins Purdue University as career counselor

Jul 1, 1935

Earhart accepted a visiting faculty position at Purdue University as a consultant for women's careers and an advisor in aeronautics. Purdue also funded the Lockheed Electra aircraft she would use on her final flight.

Image source: Purdue University

Posthumous publication of Earhart's book 'Last Flight'

1937

George Putnam compiled Earhart's letters, journal entries, and logs from her final world flight into the posthumous book 'Last Flight', preserving her voice and account of the ill-fated journey.

Record-Breaking Flights

Earhart becomes first woman to fly across the Atlantic as a passenger

Jun 17, 1928 - Jun 18, 1928

Accompanying pilots Wilmer Stultz and Louis Gordon aboard the Fokker F.VII Friendship, Earhart crossed the Atlantic Ocean from Newfoundland to Burry Port, Wales. Though she kept the flight log, she did not pilot the plane, prompting her vow to earn her own transatlantic record.

Image source: Fokker F.VII

Earhart sets women's autogiro altitude record

Apr 8, 1931

Flying a Pitcairn PCA-2 autogyro, Earhart set a world altitude record for rotorcraft of 18,415 feet, demonstrating her versatility across new aviation technologies.

Image source: Autogyro

Earhart becomes first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic

May 20, 1932 - May 21, 1932

Flying a red Lockheed Vega 5B from Harbour Grace, Newfoundland, to Culmore near Londonderry, Northern Ireland, Earhart became the first woman to fly solo nonstop across the Atlantic, completing the journey in about 14 hours and 56 minutes.

Earhart receives the Distinguished Flying Cross from Congress

Jul 29, 1932

For her solo transatlantic flight, Earhart was awarded the U.S. Distinguished Flying Cross, becoming the first woman to receive the honor. She also received the National Geographic Society's gold medal from President Herbert Hoover.

Image source: Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)

Earhart receives the Distinguished Flying Cross from Congress

Earhart makes first solo transcontinental flight by a woman

Aug 24, 1932 - Aug 25, 1932

Earhart flew nonstop from Los Angeles to Newark, New Jersey, becoming the first woman to complete a solo transcontinental flight across the United States.

Image source: Air racing

Earhart becomes first person to fly solo from Hawaii to California

Jan 11, 1935 - Jan 12, 1935

Flying a Lockheed Vega from Wheeler Field in Honolulu to Oakland, California, Earhart became the first person ever to fly solo across the Pacific Ocean between Hawaii and the mainland, a route that had claimed several lives before her success.

Image source: Lockheed Vega

Earhart flies solo nonstop from Los Angeles to Mexico City

Apr 19, 1935

Earhart flew solo from Los Angeles to Mexico City on a goodwill flight, and then days later flew from Mexico City to Newark, New Jersey, completing another notable long-distance record flight.

Earhart competes in the Bendix Trophy Transcontinental Air Race

Sep 1, 1935 - Sep 30, 1935

Earhart competed in the prestigious Bendix Trophy race, finishing second only to male aviators, further proving women could compete at the highest levels of long-distance aviation.

Final Flight and Disappearance

Earhart announces plans for an around-the-world flight

Feb 1, 1937

With funding from Purdue University and support from her husband George Putnam, Earhart announced her plan to circumnavigate the globe as close to the equator as possible aboard a specially modified Lockheed Electra 10E.

First attempt at around-the-world flight ends in Hawaii crash

Mar 17, 1937 - Mar 20, 1937

Earhart, accompanied by navigators Harry Manning and Fred Noonan, departed Oakland for Hawaii on the first leg of her world flight. On takeoff from Luke Field in Honolulu on March 20, the Electra ground-looped and was severely damaged, ending the westward attempt.

Second world flight attempt begins from Miami eastbound

May 21, 1937

After the repaired Electra returned to Oakland, Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan began a revised eastward attempt, departing Miami quietly without public fanfare on May 21, 1937.

Earhart and Noonan reach Lae, New Guinea

Jun 27, 1937 - Jul 1, 1937

After stops across South America, Africa, India, and Southeast Asia, Earhart and Noonan arrived at Lae, New Guinea, having flown roughly 22,000 miles. Lae was their last stop before the challenging overwater crossing to Howland Island.

Image source: Lae

Final radio contact made during flight to Howland Island

Jul 2, 1937

En route to tiny Howland Island for refueling, Earhart transmitted increasingly urgent radio messages reporting low fuel and failing to see the island or the Coast Guard cutter Itasca stationed nearby. Her final transmission declared they were running north and south on a line of position before contact was lost.

Image source: Howland Island

Largest naval search in history fails to find Earhart

Jul 2, 1937 - Jul 18, 1937

The United States Navy and Coast Guard mounted an extensive search of the central Pacific, deploying ships and aircraft around Howland Island and nearby islands. After sixteen days covering some 250,000 square miles, the search was called off with no trace found; Earhart and Noonan were declared lost at sea.

Image source: Speculation on the disappearance of Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan

Earhart declared legally dead

Jan 5, 1939

Eighteen months after her disappearance, George Putnam requested that Amelia be declared legally dead in probate court, closing a tragic chapter while fueling decades of speculation and theories about her fate.

Key Facts

Amelia Earhart was born on July 24, 1897, in Atchison, Kansas, and developed an interest in aviation after attending a flying exhibition in 1920.
In 1932, she became the first woman to fly solo nonstop across the Atlantic Ocean, flying from Newfoundland to Ireland in about 15 hours.
In 1935, she became the first person to fly solo from Hawaii to the U.S. mainland, a route previously flown only by commercial airliners.
On June 1, 1937, Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan began an attempt to fly around the world, departing from Miami, Florida.
On July 2, 1937, her plane, a Lockheed Electra 10E, disappeared near Howland Island in the Pacific Ocean; despite an extensive search, neither she nor Noonan was ever found, and she was declared legally dead in 1939.

Source

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